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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — in sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. shower — to wash
  7. squash — the sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. board — a committee
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bass — low music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — rain
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mark — a trace
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bass — the fish

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