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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bound — tied together
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kid — child
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — certain
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — to get on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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