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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. march — music
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. board — a committee
  9. roll — a list
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a ring
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. board — to get on
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — happening now
  24. roll — a cake

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