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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. fork — in a road
  3. band — a music group
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — a position
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  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