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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chair — a leader
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. object — a thing
  12. ground — the earth
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — an aim
  15. march — music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — a position
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chip — for betting

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