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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.

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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. march — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of a king
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of law
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — for sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — clothes
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bank — for money
  24. chair — a leader

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