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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. last — final
  2. toast — bread
  3. chair — a leader
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pit — in a race
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — boats
  12. board — a committee
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. board — to get on
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stem — to come from
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. deal — to handle
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chair — to sit on
  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