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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 · face · tube · chest · bat · bank · swing · board

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bank — for money
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to confront
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. board — a committee
  24. tube — a container

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