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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a committee
  3. content — the amount
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. content — happy
  7. last — to go on
  8. march — the month
  9. last — finally
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — final
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — the time now
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. present — there
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — animal skin

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