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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. content — the amount
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. content — happy
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — the tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chair — to sit on

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