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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. board — to get on
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. board — a committee
  7. mug — to rob
  8. march — the month
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mug — a face
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — a series
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — a cup
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a flat piece

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