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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. shower — to wash
  4. board — to get on
  5. march — the month
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — a group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ground — the earth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — rain
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for golf

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