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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · hide · leaves · coach · bat · press

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — crushed
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ground — a position
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — lets stay

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