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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — help
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — the amount
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — a hole
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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