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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: pound · bank · ground · last · cap · march · chair · suit

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. march — the month
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. march — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — to go on
  18. bank — of a river
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cap — of ice

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