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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — of the year
  6. lie — to recline
  7. club — for golf
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — a division
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. date — the fruit
  22. board — to get on
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — of a bank

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