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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. march — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lean — to bend
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. race — a contest
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. race — humankind
  23. rule — government
  24. stand — to bear

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