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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — music
  8. march — music
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. file — a tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a line of people
  14. kick — in football
  15. pop — soda
  16. board — a committee
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a document
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — to visit

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