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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: spell · pop · net · hand · coach · hide · cap · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — after costs
  8. object — a thing
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — magic
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hand — help
  21. net — in sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. net — for catching

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