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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. band — a ring
  4. rest — a break
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. march — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. band — a music group

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