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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. last — final
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. content — the amount
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. last — finally
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rule — a law
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — a division
  22. dip — to sink
  23. content — happy
  24. rule — government

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