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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pit — a hole
  3. band — a music group
  4. board — a committee
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. band — a ring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. band — a rubber band

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