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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. swing — to play on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bear — the animal
  8. swing — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — army training
  18. board — to get on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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