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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. board — a committee
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — hasty
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — to get on
  16. roll — a cake
  17. field — a subject
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  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