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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. march — the month
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — obliged

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