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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: march · bear · board · land · fine · chair · root · bat

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. land — to come down
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. root — of a word
  6. chair — a leader
  7. land — a country
  8. board — to get on
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a committee
  13. march — music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. root — the cause
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. root — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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