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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mine — for digging
  3. firm — decided
  4. last — final
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. firm — steady
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. craft — boats
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — a company
  17. last — to go on
  18. net — in sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. hide — to keep secret

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