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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — finally
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bound — certain
  10. cue — for pool
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. can — a tin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — to get on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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