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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — for dancing
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. board — a committee
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. net — in sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. board — to get on
  13. season — in sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — a group

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