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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. march — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — a phone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cell — in biology
  20. board — a committee
  21. suit — to fit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. saw — the tool

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