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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cue — a signal
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mug — to rob
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. object — to protest
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — final
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — a thing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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