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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. last — finally
  14. mate — a friend
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — to get on
  17. spell — letters
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — of water
  24. mouse — for a computer

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