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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a cup
  3. land — a country
  4. chair — a leader
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — ground
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. march — music
  18. mug — a face
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — a football 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