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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — a match
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. last — to go on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — finally

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