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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. toast — bread
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — for betting
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spring — of water
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. board — to get on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chip — to eat
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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