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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — final
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. suit — clothes
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — of water
  17. bound — certain
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bound — obliged
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — the season

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