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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. game — a match
  6. swing — to play on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — in football
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. swing — music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. shower — rain
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  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