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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — in sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. mine — for digging
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. shower — to wash

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