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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — a phone
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. last — final
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of a king
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. court — of law
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cell — in biology
  20. track — a path
  21. wax — to grow
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hide — to keep secret

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