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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bound — certain
  10. board — to get on
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. board — a committee
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. content — the amount
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bound — obliged

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