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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — army training
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. land — ground
  5. mate — a friend
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chair — a leader
  13. scale — size or range
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — to come down
  18. drill — the tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. band — a ring

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