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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · bat · hide · bark · saw · deal · ground · toast

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — the earth
  7. toast — bread
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — final
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ground — a position
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — the tool

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