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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — to go on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. last — final
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. suit — to fit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — rain
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — to wash
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. suit — in cards

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