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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — from a university
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — happy
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — final
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. degree — temperature
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cue — a hint
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cue — for pool

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