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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — final
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mouse — the animal

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