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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — to get on
  9. can — a tin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a ring
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — happy
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. content — the amount
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a music group
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — a sauce

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