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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. root — of a plant
  5. board — to get on
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cold — an illness
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. board — a committee
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — shares
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. root — of a word
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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