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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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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: last · saw · mate · chair · jam · ball · ground · plane

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — final
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. last — finally
  9. ball — a dance
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ground — the earth
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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