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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: spell · pass · march · rock · mug · board · arm · cold

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. march — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pass — a permit
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — magic
  24. pass — to spend time

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