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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitch — completely
  4. last — to go on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — there
  10. hand — help
  11. key — the most important part
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — a gift
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. present — the time now
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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