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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stock — goods
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kick — in football
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kick — with a leg

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