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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. bass — low music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — rain
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kick — in football

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