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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bore — to tire
  13. track — a song
  14. season — in sport
  15. game — a match
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. board — a committee
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. board — to get on
  24. bore — to drill

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