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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. last — final
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rush — hurry
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — a safe
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a song
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — a thrill

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