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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 · mark · board · bore · jam · content · mug · race

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mug — a cup
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mark — a grade
  6. race — the arms race
  7. board — to get on
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — to drill
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — humankind
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. board — a committee
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mug — to rob
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. race — a contest
  24. jam — in traffic

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