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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — soda
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — happy
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bowl — to roll

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