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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. march — the month
  10. board — to get on
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. board — a committee
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. shower — rain
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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