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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chair — a leader
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — in football
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. race — a contest
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. race — humankind
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. race — the arms race

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