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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — a country
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. current — electric
  14. board — to get on
  15. last — final
  16. pound — a weight
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — to go on
  19. current — happening now
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. land — ground
  22. current — of water
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. march — the month

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