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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — in music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — for a lock
  8. march — music
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — to shout

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