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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cell — in biology
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. last — final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chip — to eat

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