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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 · bowl · tear · land · last · board · staff · pass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. staff — a stick
  7. last — to go on
  8. season — in sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. last — finally
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — final
  15. season — of the year
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — ground
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pass — a permit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. staff — employees

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