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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 124 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: bay · last · chair · rule · stand · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — final
  5. rule — government
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. last — to go on
  15. rule — a law
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. 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