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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. face — to confront
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — final
  17. toast — bread
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — the season
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — finally
  23. chair — a leader
  24. face — part of the head

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