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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. trunk — of a car

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