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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitch — completely
  3. field — farmland
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mug — a cup
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mug — a face
  10. field — for sport
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mug — to rob
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  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