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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — final
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a leader
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — to bear
  11. hand — in cards
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rush — hurry
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. foot — the bottom

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