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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 124 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fine — all right
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. last — final
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. board — a committee
  22. fine — high quality
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. calf — a young animal

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