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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · last · chair · mate · drill · ruler

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — final
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. drill — army training
  18. ruler — for measuring

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