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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. season — of the year
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. file — a tool
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. content — the amount
  15. track — to keep track
  16. board — to get on
  17. root — the cause
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — of a plant
  22. content — happy
  23. track — a path
  24. wake — a trail

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