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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.

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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. board — to get on
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. march — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fine — all right
  10. craft — a skill
  11. march — the month
  12. land — ground
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. board — a committee
  18. scale — in music
  19. march — the month
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mark — a grade
  22. land — a country
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — to come down

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