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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. march — the month
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — a country
  5. march — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bear — the animal
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. suit — to fit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ground — a position
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. land — ground
  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