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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spring — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — all right
  11. last — finally
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — the season
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lie — to recline
  22. firm — a company
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — an untruth

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