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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: game · face · mine · coach · fine · chest · lash · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — wild animals

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