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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — bread
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — a line
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. march — music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — a group
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. club — for golf
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. club — for dancing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cold — not warm
  24. arm — part of the body

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