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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. swing — in golf
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — in sport
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. swing — music
  24. bowl — to roll

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