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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — to get on

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