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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — a committee
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — letters
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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