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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. swing — music
  6. last — final
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — to go on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. last — finally
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. charge — in control
  17. suit — clothes
  18. charge — electricity
  19. board — to get on
  20. suit — to fit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — a committee
  23. suit — in cards
  24. content — the amount

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