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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — low music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — the most important part
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — a committee
  21. key — for a lock
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — the fish

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