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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. last — to go on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — rain
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. shower — to wash
  16. last — final
  17. lean — thin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. last — finally
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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