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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — a video
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mug — to rob
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. drill — army training
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — to breed

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