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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. board — to get on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. current — electric
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. board — a committee
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spring — of water
  11. content — the amount
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — part of the head
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — shares
  23. face — to confront
  24. spell — magic

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