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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — a committee
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. game — wild animals
  7. present — a gift
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — high quality
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a match
  23. present — the time now
  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