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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 120 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: lie · coach · dip · land · pit · scale · row · kid

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — to tease
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pit — a hole
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pit — in a race

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