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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. march — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — side of the head
  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