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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. club — a group
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — to go on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for golf

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