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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — a thing
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — clothes
  11. present — the time now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. march — the month
  16. present — a gift
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. suit — in cards
  20. object — to protest
  21. toast — bread
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — there
  24. object — an aim

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