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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — happy
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — soda
  5. rock — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rock — a stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. content — the amount
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. board — a committee

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