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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. race — humankind

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