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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — ground
  13. track — a path
  14. firm — decided
  15. march — music
  16. land — to come down
  17. ground — crushed
  18. firm — a company
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — a position
  21. firm — steady
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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