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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. spell — letters
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. spell — magic
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. last — final
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chair — a leader
  23. plane — a tool
  24. last — finally

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