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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. content — the amount
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — of the year
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fine — all right
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — a division
  22. board — a committee
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fine — a penalty

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