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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a ring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. suit — clothes
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. march — music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. straw — dry grass

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