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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rock — music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — low music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — the season
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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