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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. track — to keep track
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to point toward
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to confront
  9. track — a song
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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