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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pass — a permit
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. band — a music group
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. safe — a strongbox

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