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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — the animal
  10. board — to get on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. board — a committee
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wake — a trail
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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