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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — an injury

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