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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. toast — bread
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — a box
  10. chip — to eat
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. hide — animal skin

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