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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — child
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mate — a friend
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — to breed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tube — a container
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. board — a flat piece

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