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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. rule — government
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — a law
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — to get on
  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