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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — to go on
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — finally
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — in a road
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — final
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. season — of the year
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a lid
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mine — for digging

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