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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a hat
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. cap — of ice
  8. present — the time now
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — a practice
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. march — the month
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — the tool

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