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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — final
  3. hand — in cards
  4. present — there
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. perch — the fish
  13. present — the time now
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rash — a series
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — hasty
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — help
  24. present — a gift

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