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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — for dancing
  8. charge — in control
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. club — a group
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. club — for golf

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