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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — the arms race
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rock — music
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bank — of a river
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — a stone

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