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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. march — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — help
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. board — to get on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a committee
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. club — for golf
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — the amount

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