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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — a short time
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rock — a stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wound — an injury

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