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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mate — a friend
  4. last — final
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — to go on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. drill — a practice
  24. vault — a safe

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