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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · fine · season · ground · march · kid · board · rock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ground — crushed
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — child
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kid — to tease
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — high quality
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a committee
  22. march — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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