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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — a tin
  5. board — a committee
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bound — tied together
  8. can — a tin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — there
  15. last — finally
  16. cap — of ice
  17. present — the time now
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — certain
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wind — to turn a key

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