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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — of the year
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — a match
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. land — to come down
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. land — ground
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spell — letters
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. land — a country
  22. game — wild animals
  23. board — a committee
  24. dip — to sink

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