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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.

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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kick — in football
  9. rock — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — a hole
  19. track — a song
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — of the year

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