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

Word bank: land · hide · mark · last · branch · bat · suit · race

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — final
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — ground
  6. race — the arms race
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — to come down
  9. suit — to fit
  10. last — finally
  11. race — a contest
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. suit — in cards
  23. race — humankind
  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