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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — a practice
  3. race — a contest
  4. drill — army training
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. press — a publisher
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — 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