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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. march — music
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — to protest
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — the amount
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. last — finally
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — a thing

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