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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mark — a grade
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mark — a trace

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