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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rush — hurry
  6. march — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. march — the month
  11. key — in music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — a loud noise

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