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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. season — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — to get on
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — the amount
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — happy
  19. board — a committee
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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