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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. object — an aim
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. object — a thing
  9. chest — a box
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. season — of the year
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — to protest
  22. bore — to drill
  23. last — final
  24. pitch — a sports field

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