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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — magic
  9. bank — for money
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — letters
  13. board — a committee
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. board — to get on
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wake — a trail
  20. march — the month
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. season — in sport

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