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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — final
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — to go on
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — in music
  20. last — finally
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. temple — side of the head

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