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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bank — for money
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. board — to get on
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. march — the month
  9. present — a gift
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pit — in a race
  19. present — the time now
  20. bank — of a river
  21. degree — from a university
  22. board — a committee
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bank — for money

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