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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. board — a committee
  3. file — a line of people
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. board — to get on
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — to shout
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. club — for golf
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — a group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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