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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — in music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. key — for a lock
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. key — the most important part
  24. coach — a trainer

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