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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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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — to get on
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — a committee
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — of the year
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug

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