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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pop — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — a contest
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. coach — a trainer

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