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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. swing — in golf
  3. last — final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — a box
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — a leader
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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