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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. object — to protest
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a partner
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — to breed
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — a thing
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. drill — a practice
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — army training
  18. wax — to grow
  19. object — an aim
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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