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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · toast · mate · board · deal · cap · wind · season

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — of ice
  10. board — to get on
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cap — a hat
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. board — a committee
  20. season — of the year
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mate — a friend

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