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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bank — for money
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bank — for money
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — a song
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — a path
  18. march — the month
  19. last — finally
  20. march — music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — final

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