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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. last — to go on
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — final
  23. bound — certain
  24. hand — help

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