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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: shower · bound · racket · season · hand · suit · ground · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — crushed
  9. shower — rain
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. suit — to fit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. board — to get on
  17. ground — a position
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — obliged
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — in cards
  24. suit — in cards

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