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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pop — soda
  3. ground — crushed
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — the earth
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — a box
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. board — a committee
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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