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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. sharp — clever
  3. board — to get on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — the month
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. board — a committee
  10. ground — a position
  11. present — there
  12. rock — music
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. march — music
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. branch — a division

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