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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — final
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a hat
  6. content — the amount
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — to rob
  9. date — the fruit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. content — happy
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cap — of ice
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — a face
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. cap — a lid
  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