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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.

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: club · hide · roll · coach · content · cold · key · rush

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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. cold — not warm
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. roll — a list
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. key — the most important part
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a cake
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. key — in music
  20. club — for dancing
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. club — for golf
  24. content — happy

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