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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. board — a committee
  4. root — of a word
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rock — a stone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. march — music
  11. present — there
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — a gift
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rock — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. root — the cause
  18. present — the time now
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. stand — to bear
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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