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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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Word bank
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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: leaves · last · track · cabinet · spell · drill · chair · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — letters
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spell — magic
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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