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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — a committee
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — to recline
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — music

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