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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — help
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — a country
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. hand — in cards

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