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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — certain
  5. board — a committee
  6. last — final
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cell — a phone
  13. last — finally
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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