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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. last — final
  8. cap — a lid
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — help
  23. last — finally
  24. date — the fruit

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