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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.

Make a worksheet

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: swing · leaves · season · object · saw · hide · vault · last

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. swing — to play on
  5. object — to protest
  6. swing — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. object — a thing
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — final
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. last — to go on

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