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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lie — to recline
  7. row — to paddle
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. row — a line
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — a group
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — for digging
  24. plane — a tool

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