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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: fine · board · staff · cold · march · pop · pit · tear

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pop — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — high quality
  5. board — to get on
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — the month
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. march — music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cold — not warm
  16. march — the month
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — soda
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fine — all right
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. board — a committee
  24. tear — from crying

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