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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: mine · lean · court · tear · suit · coach · chest · deal

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. court — of law
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — for sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. suit — to fit
  22. court — of a king
  23. chest — a box
  24. deal — to handle

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