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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
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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: race · mug · rest · spell · clip · coach · hide · board

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spell — magic
  7. board — a committee
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — a contest
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — a video
  22. race — humankind
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — letters

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