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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. swing — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — final
  11. sharp — clever
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — finally
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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