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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — help
  6. march — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mark — a trace
  24. march — the month

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