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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — final
  5. game — wild animals
  6. swing — to play on
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. rest — a break
  11. firm — a company
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — steady
  23. last — to go on
  24. rock — a stone

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