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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 120 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: fork · season · bass · last · kick · present · bore · board

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. present — there
  11. last — final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — a gift
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bass — low music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — the time now
  24. bass — the fish

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