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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. vault — a safe
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — to get on
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — a committee
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — 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