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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — to go on
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — final
  6. board — a committee
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. object — to protest
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. object — an aim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. object — a thing

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