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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. key — the most important part
  8. band — a music group
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — to wash
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a ring
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pass — a permit

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