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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. suit — to fit
  3. season — in sport
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. last — to go on
  7. row — a line
  8. suit — clothes
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. season — of the year
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. game — a match
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — final
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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