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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: tear · season · sharp · pitch · board · cold · root · lash

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. root — of a plant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — of a word
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — the cause
  15. cold — an illness
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — to get on

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