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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — final
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — for sport
  10. last — finally
  11. court — of law
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. court — of a king
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mug — to rob
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rash — a series

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