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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. board — a committee
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chip — in a computer

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