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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — magic
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. capital — a city
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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