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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. face — to point toward
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. club — a group
  7. board — to get on
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a tool
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to confront
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a document
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. season — in sport

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