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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — a country
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — a trainer

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