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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. suit — in cards
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. suit — to fit
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. march — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — a phone

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