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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — in golf
  8. craft — boats
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — to play on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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