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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a ring
  12. track — a path
  13. key — in music
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chair — a leader

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