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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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Word bank
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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: mark · march · chair · current · toast · safe · mouse · content

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — electric
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. content — the amount
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. current — of water
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. toast — bread
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. current — happening now

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