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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — to bear
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — happy
  21. mine — for digging
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — the amount

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