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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. board — to get on
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. march — the month
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bass — low music
  10. march — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. club — for dancing
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — for digging
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. plane — a tool
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. club — for golf

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