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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — to go on
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. board — a committee
  15. stock — shares
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mate — a friend
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — goods
  23. squash — the sport
  24. board — to get on

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