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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — a group
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. last — finally
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — in music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — final
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fine — all right
  23. club — for golf
  24. scale — size or range

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