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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a line
  3. board — to get on
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — of a river
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — of the year
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — in sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitch — completely
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. row — to paddle

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