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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. last — final
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — a weight
  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