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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: jam · cold · cap · toast · content · rest · board · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cap — a hat
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cap — a lid
  9. toast — bread
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. board — to get on
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rest — a break
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — the amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — the tool

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