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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret

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