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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. firm — a company
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — finally
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — final

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