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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — a professorship

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