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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. land — to come down
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — a committee

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