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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cold — not warm
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a grade
  23. leaves — to go away
  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