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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — a price
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — electricity
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — rain
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stand — to bear
  20. charge — in control
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — the month

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