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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: board · club · lie · bore · march · land · snap · mate

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — for golf
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lie — to recline
  12. march — music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to tire
  18. board — a committee
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — to get on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — a group

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