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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bank — of a river
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. season — of the year
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cold — an illness
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. last — final
  21. club — for golf
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bank — for money

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