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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: file · ground · pit · spring · fine · foot · board · season

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — the season
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ground — a position
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a document
  13. fine — all right
  14. spring — of water
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — of the year
  17. file — a tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ground — the earth
  21. board — to get on
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. pit — in a race

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