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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. march — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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