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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rock — music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chair — a leader
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. march — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cold — an illness
  24. hand — help

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