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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. last — final
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — to go on
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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