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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · tear · board · band · track · pitcher · fine · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a music group
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. board — to get on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — a path
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — all right
  20. track — a song
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — of the year
  24. sharp — clever

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