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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rash — hasty
  17. game — a match
  18. roll — a cake
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — a series
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — a tin

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