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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a signal
  4. game — a match
  5. date — the fruit
  6. board — a committee
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — to get on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chest — of your body

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