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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. rock — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. court — of law
  6. last — to go on
  7. date — the fruit
  8. object — a thing
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. court — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. object — an aim
  14. cell — a phone
  15. last — final
  16. object — to protest
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of a king
  24. hide — to keep secret

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