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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. rock — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — a leader
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — to come down
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — a country
  23. last — to go on
  24. rush — hurry

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