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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 · board · court · lean · pass · content · row · tear

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — happy
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — in sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — the amount
  13. tear — to rip
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a committee
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tear — from crying
  19. row — a line
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — of the year

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