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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — a group
  3. march — music
  4. board — to get on
  5. row — a line
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — the month
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a committee
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — government
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. season — in sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. club — for dancing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — for golf
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. row — to paddle

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