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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a committee
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — to crush
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — in sport
  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