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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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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: hand · content · fan · season · field · deal · board · toast

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — to get on
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. field — for sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. toast — bread
  18. content — happy
  19. field — farmland
  20. content — the amount
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. field — a subject
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — help

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