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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mark — a trace
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — finally
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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