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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — a position
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fall — the season
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — final
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cue — a hint

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