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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fall — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — an amount
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — a stone

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