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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. press — to push
  24. rash — a series

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