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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · bowl · shower · mine · coach · pass · chest · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. key — for a lock
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. key — in music

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