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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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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: key · present · hide · stock · court · last · land · saw

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. present — there
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — the time now
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — for sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. land — a country
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. last — finally
  14. land — ground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — to go on
  17. key — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stock — goods
  20. present — a gift
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. last — final

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