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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a list
  3. sharp — clever
  4. march — the month
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a committee
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a cake
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — a stick
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — to get on

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