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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. scale — in music
  7. board — to get on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. board — a committee
  23. wax — to grow
  24. season — of the year

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