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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: cabinet · hide · jam · ground · bark · court · rest · coach

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rest — a break
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. court — of a king
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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