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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. roll — a cake
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rule — government
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — in music
  18. club — for golf
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. roll — a list
  22. march — the month
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — to tire

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