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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: board · season · pitch · shower · track · lie · mate · cabinet

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. track — a path
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. board — a committee
  15. lie — to recline
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a song
  24. cabinet — ministers

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