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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. roll — a list
  7. land — a country
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pound — a weight
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. land — to come down
  13. fork — in a road
  14. march — the month
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. board — a committee
  19. land — ground
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. march — the month
  23. season — of the year
  24. pound — for dogs

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