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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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. pass — a permit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mug — to rob
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — tied together
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — letters
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bound — certain

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