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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. capital — a city
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. drill — army training
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — a practice
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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