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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — certain
  4. rock — music
  5. march — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. object — to protest
  10. game — a match
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rock — to move gently

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