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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — hasty
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — a stone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — to get on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. scale — in music
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — a series
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — a jug

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