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

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. current — electric
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — of water
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — in cards
  14. last — finally
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — final
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. toast — bread
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — to go 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