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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. board — a committee
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. dip — to sink
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — of the year

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