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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — letters
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — to get on
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. season — of the year
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — in sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. jam — in traffic

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