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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mug — a cup
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mug — a face
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. march — the month
  24. chair — to sit on

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