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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: calf · chair · saw · ruler · ground · field · toast · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. field — for sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — music
  13. toast — bread
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — crushed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. toast — the most admired

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