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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — farmland
  14. foot — a measure
  15. roll — a list
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — a subject
  18. tube — a container
  19. march — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to click
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. board — a committee

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