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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: hand · mate · coach · pop · fan · swing · lie · key

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hand — help
  8. key — in music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — a friend
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — soda

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