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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: present · mate · board · hand · pop · rule · spell · content

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — happy
  3. pop — music
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — there
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rule — government
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spell — magic
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — a gift
  18. board — a committee
  19. spell — letters
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. present — the time now
  22. rule — a law
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — to rule out

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