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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: date · nail · object · content · hide · coach · pit · rash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — hasty
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. date — the fruit
  9. content — the amount
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — a series
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. object — an aim
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pit — in a race

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