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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — army training
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. staff — employees
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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