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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. season — of the year
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a document
  12. fine — all right
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. file — a tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fine — high quality
  23. squash — to crush
  24. season — in sport

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