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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chair — a leader
  24. saw — 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