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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. mine — for digging
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. net — in sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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