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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tube — the underground
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — government
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. row — a line
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tube — a container
  16. rule — a law
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. cue — a signal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cue — a hint
  24. row — to paddle

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