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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: cue · last · march · bear · jam · land · hide · ground

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cue — a hint
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cue — a signal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — a position
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. ground — crushed
  19. last — final
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — to come down
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — finally

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