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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — government
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. track — a song
  19. rule — a law
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mug — a face
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. track — a path

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