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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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