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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — an aim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — the amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. board — to get on
  17. object — a thing
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. content — happy

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