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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 · fork · rock · dip · deal · board · stick · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rock — music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — to get on
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — of the year
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — in sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fork — in a road

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