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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. season — of the year
  3. board — a committee
  4. pass — a permit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — magic
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — to get on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to tire

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