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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — to get on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. field — farmland
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. board — a committee
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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