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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bound — certain
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — a lid
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. march — music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cue — a hint
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a committee
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — tied together
  21. board — to get on
  22. cue — for pool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stand — for spectators

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