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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — a trail
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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