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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — final
  6. charge — in control
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. net — in sport
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — the instrument

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