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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: bay · key · chair · march · squash · nail · pitcher · field

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. march — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. key — for a lock
  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