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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. spell — letters
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. object — to protest
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — a leader
  21. last — final
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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