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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — in sport
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. race — humankind
  11. rash — a series
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. last — final
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — to go on
  24. lie — to recline

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