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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a skill
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pop — to visit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — soda
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. craft — boats
  23. march — the month
  24. present — the time now

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