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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. land — ground
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — to bear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — employees
  10. march — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — a committee
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — music
  24. staff — employees

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