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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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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — clever

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