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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chair — a leader
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ground — crushed
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — a friend
  20. vault — a safe
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ground — the earth

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