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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — final
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to tire
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fine — high quality
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bore — to drill

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