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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — in a road
  6. board — to get on
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. band — a music group
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. march — the month

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