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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — letters
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. march — the month

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