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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. land — to come down
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chair — a leader
  8. last — final
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kid — child
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. key — the most important part
  23. land — a country
  24. cabinet — ministers

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