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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mug — a face

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