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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — in sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. race — the arms race
  9. board — to get on
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. club — a group
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — happy
  18. club — for golf
  19. spring — of water
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. race — a contest
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — videos and posts

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