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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — the amount
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cue — for pool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hand — help
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. board — a flat piece

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