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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — a trace
  6. last — to go on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mark — a grade
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — finally
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. board — a committee

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