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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. club — a group
  20. last — final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — for catching
  23. club — for dancing
  24. leaves — lets stay

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