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

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. firm — steady
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. firm — decided
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. pop — soda
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — for betting
  22. firm — a company
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pop — to visit

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