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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 116 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
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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: squash · board · cabinet · court · mine · stem · content · face

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. court — of law
  14. content — the amount
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — for sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. face — to confront
  22. squash — the sport
  23. face — part of the head
  24. squash — the vegetable

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