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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — a signal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cue — for pool
  9. shower — rain
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — a match
  13. march — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — wild animals
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — all right
  24. shower — to wash

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