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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
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: straw · ball · plane · season · content · board · file · mate

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. board — a committee
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a line of people
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. content — happy
  24. plane — an aircraft

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