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

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chest — of your body
  3. board — to get on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. content — happy
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chest — a box
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. march — the month

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