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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. board — to get on
  3. race — a contest
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — the amount
  6. mark — a trace
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. race — humankind
  10. content — happy
  11. face — to confront
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. season — of the year
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. board — a committee
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lean — to bend

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