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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chair — a leader
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. march — music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — electric
  15. drill — a practice
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. court — of law
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — the month

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