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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · fork · board · mark · cold · fine · spell · foot

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fine — all right
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spell — letters
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — a measure
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mark — a trace

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