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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. board — a committee
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. board — to get on
  6. content — happy
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — after costs
  12. content — the amount
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. net — in sport
  20. roll — a list
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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