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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — an illness
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — a committee
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. ball — a dance
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a great time
  24. march — 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