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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. track — a path
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. track — a song
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. last — final
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a grade

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