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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. last — finally
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — to bear

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