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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. dip — to sink
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — of a river
  13. root — of a word
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. swing — music

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