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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hand — help
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a committee
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to click
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — shares
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. saw — the tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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