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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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Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. row — a line
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — to get on
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. board — a committee
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wound — an injury
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — a young animal

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