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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. last — to go on
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — final
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — to hurry

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