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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cue — a hint
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cue — a signal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — on the skin

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