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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — a break
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — help
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — crushed

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