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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — a price
  3. row — to paddle
  4. march — music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. board — a committee
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. charge — electricity

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