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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. last — finally
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. branch — a division
  23. suit — clothes
  24. degree — an amount

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