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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — the amount
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — a phone
  11. toast — bread
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — money
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

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