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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. field — for sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — farmland
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — a subject
  14. prune — to trim
  15. suit — in cards
  16. last — final
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — the fruit

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