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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — to get on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — humankind
  17. board — a committee
  18. ground — a position
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — crushed

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