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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — to bend
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — a law
  10. content — happy
  11. foot — a measure
  12. row — to paddle
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — government
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — thin
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. row — a line

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