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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cell — in biology
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — a break
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — for catching
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — animal skin

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