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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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Word bank
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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 · mouse · fine · mine · suit · coach · shower · last

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — rain
  4. chest — of your body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. last — finally
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chest — a box
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — final
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — to go on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fine — all right
  20. suit — to fit
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fine — a penalty

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