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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. last — finally
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chest — a box
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — a break
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — to go on
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. last — final
  18. board — to get on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — the amount

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