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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — farmland
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — a subject
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pit — in a race
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — finally
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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