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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. last — finally
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. content — happy
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mine — for digging
  17. content — the amount
  18. last — final
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — belonging to me

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