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

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — to go on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chair — a leader
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a song
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. last — final
  24. chair — to sit on

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