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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rock — music
  3. march — music
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bound — obliged

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