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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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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: content · ground · board · key · bowl · toast · mark · wound

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. key — in music
  6. content — happy
  7. board — a committee
  8. ground — a position
  9. board — to get on
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. key — for a lock
  20. toast — bread
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — an injury

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