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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. band — a music group
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — completely
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — an eyelash

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