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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — a country
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — ground
  13. march — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — to get on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a committee
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — on the skin

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