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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — a committee
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. game — a match
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. plane — in geometry

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