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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. march — the month
  4. board — to get on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bound — certain
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chair — to sit 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