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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — to recline
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — a hat
  20. perch — the fish
  21. march — the month
  22. season — of the year
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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