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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ground — a position
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cell — in biology
  9. track — a song
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. game — a match
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  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