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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. land — a country
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — final
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. land — to come down
  16. kick — in football
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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