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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. present — the time now
  3. swing — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ground — crushed
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — there
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — in music
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. present — a gift
  23. board — to get on
  24. scale — for weighing

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