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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. march — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pass — a permit
  9. court — for sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. drill — a practice
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — a series
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of a king
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. board — a committee
  22. drill — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. drill — army training

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