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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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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: bowl · bulb · cell · board · swing · season · arm · march

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. board — to get on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — in sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. march — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bowl — a dish

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