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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. board — to get on
  2. root — the cause
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — wild animals
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. root — of a word
  9. board — a committee
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fine — all right
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bound — tied together
  21. game — a match
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — moving air
  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