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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hand — help
  4. last — finally
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — final
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — to go on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mark — a grade
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fall — the season
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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