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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a dance
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pop — music
  10. season — of the year
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — there
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — the time now
  15. pop — soda
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — a contest
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. race — the arms race

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