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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. present — there
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — the time now
  8. last — finally
  9. chest — a box
  10. bound — certain
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cell — a phone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. last — final
  18. cell — in biology
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — a gift
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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