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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. bass — the fish
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. content — happy
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. board — to get on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. season — of the year
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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