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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. march — the month
  11. board — to get on
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. march — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pit — a hole
  23. season — of the year
  24. mine — belonging to me

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