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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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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a ring
  19. rock — music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — a line
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — on the skin

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