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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — not warm
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lean — thin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — help
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. content — happy
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to bend
  19. season — of the year
  20. current — happening now
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. board — to get on
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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