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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: board · rash · safe · field · mate · cue · spell · content

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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 flat piece
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — happy
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — a short time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cue — a hint
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rash — a series
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — the amount
  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