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

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. content — happy
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. present — the time now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. present — a gift
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bat — in an idiom

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