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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — to get on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bowl — a football final

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