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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — a division
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chair — a leader
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — a position
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — final
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ground — crushed
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — in football
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — out of danger

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