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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — a stick
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. land — ground
  11. march — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cue — a hint
  18. can — to be able to
  19. board — a committee
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — a country
  23. can — a tin
  24. cue — for pool

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