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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. last — final
  4. land — to come down
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. land — ground
  10. fine — high quality
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — a country
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. charge — in control
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fine — all right

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