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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: cabinet · board · pitch · mine · fine · band · season · present

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a committee
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — there
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — the time now
  19. board — to get on
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — completely
  24. present — a gift

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