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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 · toast · season · bass · mate · nail · ground · march

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bass — low music
  10. march — music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. toast — bread
  13. bass — the fish
  14. board — a committee
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — a position
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — to breed
  19. march — the month
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. toast — the most admired

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