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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. lean — thin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lean — to bend
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. track — a song
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. current — of water
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — electric
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  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