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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. firm — a company
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. firm — steady
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — music
  14. court — of law
  15. firm — decided
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. court — for sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. court — of a king
  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