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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spell — letters
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a committee
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pass — a permit
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. board — to get on
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — magic
  18. swing — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. march — music
  24. craft — boats

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