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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — boats
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — a position
  18. present — a gift
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — a skill
  21. present — the time now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. present — there
  24. craft — a handicraft

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