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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. land — to come down
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. board — a committee
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — a country
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — to get on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — for digging

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