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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. face — to confront
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. season — in sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — in a road
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ground — a position
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — to get on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. season — of the year
  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