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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — a stick
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. last — final
  8. bear — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — finally
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rule — government
  16. branch — a division
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. leaves — of a tree

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