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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — in music
  5. last — final
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — for a lock
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. last — finally
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. current — happening now
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — electric
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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