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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mate — to breed
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — music
  12. board — a committee
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. march — the month

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