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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. key — the most important part
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — the animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. chair — a leader
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. staff — employees

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