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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: calf · board · toast · mate · stand · drill · season · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. content — happy
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. toast — bread
  7. stand — to bear
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — army training
  12. mate — a friend
  13. season — of the year
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — the amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mate — to breed
  23. calf — a young animal
  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