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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — a group
  4. scale — size or range
  5. last — final
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — a thing
  11. club — for golf
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. last — finally
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — in music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — to protest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. object — an aim
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chair — a leader

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