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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. present — there
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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