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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — soda
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — a skill
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spell — magic
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — for sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — music
  16. court — of law
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. bank — for money
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. craft — boats
  23. court — of a king
  24. scale — in music

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