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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · hide · present · object · pitcher · march · mine · ball

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — a thing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. present — there
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. present — a gift

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