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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — a gift
  8. capital — a city
  9. craft — boats
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — there
  15. lie — to recline
  16. present — the time now
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — finally
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to click
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. capital — a big letter

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