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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. track — a path
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — a group
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — a match
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. spring — the season
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. spring — of water

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