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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. court — of a king
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. track — a path
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chair — a leader
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — for sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — final
  22. lean — thin
  23. track — a song
  24. court — of law

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