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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pop — soda
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mug — a face
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. file — a document

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