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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — to sink
  5. board — to get on
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — soda
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. board — a committee
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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