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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — a committee
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — to get on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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