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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. 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. coach — a trainer
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the fish
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. 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