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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. swing — in golf
  4. band — a music group
  5. march — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — a short time
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. band — a ring
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to click
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — to bear
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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