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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. race — humankind
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — to recline
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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