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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to confront
  10. march — the month
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — finally
  13. march — music
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — to point toward
  16. last — final
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — in a race
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — to go on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bulb — of a plant

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