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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. squash — to crush
  23. perch — the fish
  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