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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. firm — steady
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — ground
  9. firm — a company
  10. branch — a division
  11. firm — decided
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. last — finally
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. lean — to bend
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lean — thin

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