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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 124 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. scale — in music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — army training
  8. scale — size or range
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mug — a cup
  15. drill — the tool
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a face
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. toast — bread
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chair — to sit 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