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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. toast — bread
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chest — of your body

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