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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — to crush
  4. race — humankind
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chair — a leader
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mine — for digging

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