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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spring — the season
  19. season — of the year
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spring — a coil
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. bowl — a dish

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