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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 116 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: root · mine · mouse · chair · straw · march · game · pitcher

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — wild animals
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a match

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