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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — to get on
  3. pass — a permit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a committee
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — of the year
  16. rule — government
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ball — a great time
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rule — a law
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — music

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