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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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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: rest · hide · root · season · vault · deal · coach · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. root — of a word
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. root — the cause
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. deal — to handle
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rest — what's left
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. root — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rest — a break
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rest — what's left

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