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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cue — a hint
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — a leader
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — a signal
  24. last — to go on

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