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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of a king
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. court — for sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. court — of law
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — low 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