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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. march — the month
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — a price
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chair — a leader
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — in control
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. shower — to wash
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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