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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — a break
  6. club — a group
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — for dancing
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. board — to get on
  15. key — in music
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — for a lock
  18. board — a committee
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. march — music
  23. kid — child
  24. rash — a series

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