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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — a series
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — a hat
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bass — low music
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — a lid
  22. track — a path
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bass — the fish

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