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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.

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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: key · last · hide · toast · ball · coach · cell · club

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — finally
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. last — final
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. club — for golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — to go on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cell — a phone

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