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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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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — a break
  15. fork — in a road
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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