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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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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: pop · fall · lie · wake · last · rush · firm · chair

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — steady
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pop — music
  16. firm — decided
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. pop — soda
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. last — final

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