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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tear — to rip
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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