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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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