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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — a match
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fall — the season
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — wild animals
  19. face — to confront
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mug — a face

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