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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a leader
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. drill — army training
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. drill — a practice
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — final
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lean — thin
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. last — finally
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. drill — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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