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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mug — a face
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. board — a committee
  20. court — of a king
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — the animal

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