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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — a line
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — clothes
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. suit — to fit
  16. field — farmland
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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