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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 116 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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — final
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — to go on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hide — animal skin

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