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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — thin
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — to wash
  11. last — finally
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — the month
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. shower — rain
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. last — final

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