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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · coach · mate · lie · cabinet · date · row · tear

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com