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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: march · fan · game · coach · board · perch · pop · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. march — music
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — a match
  7. current — happening now
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pop — soda
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a committee
  14. current — electric
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. march — the month
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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