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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a line of people
  6. club — for golf
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. file — a tool
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. club — a group
  22. deal — to handle
  23. file — a document
  24. chair — to sit on

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