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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — in sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. swing — in golf
  5. shower — rain
  6. land — ground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. swing — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — a country
  20. spell — letters
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mark — a grade

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