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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: ruler · board · toast · land · ball · stick · cap · wound

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — to come down
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — of ice
  16. land — a country
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. board — to get on
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. cap — a lid

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