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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — a leader
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — finally
  8. face — to confront
  9. charge — in control
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. charge — a price

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