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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — finally
  4. kick — in football
  5. land — to come down
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. last — final
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. last — to go on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — a trace
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. scale — in music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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