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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — finally
  5. field — a subject
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. last — to go on

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