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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — of the year
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pit — a hole
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — in sport
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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