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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kick — in football
  18. bound — certain
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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