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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mug — a face
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. current — of water
  12. mug — to rob
  13. march — the month
  14. board — to get on
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — wild animals
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. game — a match
  22. snap — to click
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wound — an injury

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