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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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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: hide · pop · coach · deal · bay · chest · mine · content

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pop — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. deal — to handle
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — the amount
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — happy
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. coach — a trainer

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