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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — of a king
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. court — of law
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. drill — army training
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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