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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — finally
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fine — all right
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — the time now
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. last — to go on
  21. can — a tin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — final

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