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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. march — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — a committee
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. game — a match
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — in golf
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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