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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 120 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: deal · firm · last · game · chair · march · press · stick

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. firm — a company
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. press — to push
  9. firm — decided
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — steady
  17. last — final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — a match
  21. deal — to handle
  22. press — a publisher
  23. last — finally
  24. chair — to sit on

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