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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — of water
  4. chair — a leader
  5. season — of the year
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — in music
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a path
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. board — a committee
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chair — a professorship

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