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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · club · face · craft · cue · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — boats
  3. club — for dancing
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — music
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — to confront
  9. club — for golf
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — part of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — a signal

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