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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. last — finally
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a dance
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bore — to drill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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