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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.

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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. deal — to handle
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — to protest
  7. board — a committee
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. march — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. object — a thing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. board — to get on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — an aim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — moving air
  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