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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 124 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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. march — the month
  24. roll — a cake

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