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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — music
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a great time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. board — to get on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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