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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · march · bass · rule · trunk · current · bear · bat

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — low music
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — government
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — a law
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bat — in an idiom

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