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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — a series
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — a committee
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pop — music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. swing — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. board — to get on
  23. bound — obliged
  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