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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cell — in biology

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