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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. board — to get on
  9. march — music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. board — a committee
  17. sharp — clever
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mate — a friend

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