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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — a path
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — finally
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — a leader
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to point toward
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. face — to confront

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