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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 covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. march — the month
  4. board — a committee
  5. march — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a friend
  19. march — the month
  20. board — to get on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. safe — out of danger

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