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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. march — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. board — a committee
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. plane — a tool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bore — to tire
  22. board — to get on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. plane — in geometry

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