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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tube — a container
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — a position
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a song
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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