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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — to bend
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rock — music
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — to recline
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — a gift
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — there

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