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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — there
  8. club — for golf
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to click
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. present — the time now
  17. club — for dancing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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