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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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