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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — ground
  20. march — the month
  21. last — final
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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