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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — army training
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — certain
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. kid — child
  24. pitch — completely

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