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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — final
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — finally
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. object — to protest
  24. net — for catching

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