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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — the season
  5. present — the time now
  6. hand — help
  7. present — there
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fall — to drop
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer

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