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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — in sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. fork — to eat with

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