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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · kick · hide · board · fan · leaves · march · perch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — in football
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. board — to get on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — a thrill

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