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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — a country
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — a list
  11. march — music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — a cake
  15. land — ground
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bear — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. race — humankind

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