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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 124 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. chair — a leader
  12. last — finally
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — the earth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fine — all right
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. swing — to play on
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bowl — to roll

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