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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — of water
  3. chair — a leader
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — a coil
  6. last — final
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. firm — decided
  10. spring — the season
  11. face — to confront
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. firm — steady
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lean — thin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. last — finally

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