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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. suit — clothes
  3. capital — a city
  4. suit — to fit
  5. last — final
  6. object — a thing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — to go on
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — to protest
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — soda
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — music
  24. suit — in cards

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