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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. board — a committee
  4. rock — music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — to get on
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fine — all right
  13. pit — a hole
  14. season — of the year
  15. cold — not warm
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pit — in a race
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — a penalty

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