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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a line
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — a series
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — on a finger

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