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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. content — the amount
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of law
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rash — hasty
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — for sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pass — to succeed

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