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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 · lash · board · mate · mug · chair · swing · wake

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a face
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — to get on
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. swing — music
  14. board — a committee
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wake — a trail
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — to breed

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