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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 116 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 · march · rule · present · firm · fork

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — a company
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. firm — decided
  6. present — there
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. firm — steady
  11. rule — a law
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — government
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — music

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