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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — to fit
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. suit — clothes
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. march — the month
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — in cards
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. scale — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a great time
  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