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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — for sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kid — child
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. march — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. fork — in a road
  12. board — a committee
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. present — there
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. march — the month

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