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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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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — a leader
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — wild animals
  10. charge — in control
  11. cap — of ice
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — to bend
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. charge — electricity
  19. game — a match
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — thin
  23. charge — a price
  24. cap — a hat

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