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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cell — in biology
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — a phone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — final
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bore — gave birth

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