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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — in control
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. object — an aim
  7. chair — a leader
  8. object — a thing
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — final
  12. suit — to fit
  13. charge — a price
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bank — for money
  16. charge — electricity
  17. object — to protest
  18. bank — of a river
  19. suit — in cards
  20. shower — to wash
  21. last — finally
  22. shower — rain
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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