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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. court — of law
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chest — a box

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