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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. swing — in golf
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — a hat
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — to play on

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