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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 124 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — in a road
  17. season — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spring — of water

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