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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: land · bowl · content · spring · cap · board · cue · clip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — to cut
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a signal
  13. content — the amount
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cap — a lid
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cue — for pool
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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