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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · rule · charge · march · drill · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. board — to get on
  9. club — a group
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — a price
  14. drill — army training
  15. rule — government
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — the tool

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