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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chip — to eat
  3. last — to go on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mug — a face
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — a path
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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