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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — wild animals
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. lean — thin
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. board — to get on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. deal — to handle
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to bend
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. game — a kind of play

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