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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: sharp · hide · tear · chair · kick · pop · coach · pit

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pop — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — in a race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — in football
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — to keep secret

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