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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: squash · roll · leaves · wound · date · board · pitch · march

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — completely
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. board — to get on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. roll — a list
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — a cake

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