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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — of the year
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. sharp — with an edge

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