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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. march — the month
  3. pit — in a race
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. club — a group
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cold — not warm
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pit — a hole
  19. club — for dancing
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chip — for betting
  22. club — for golf
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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