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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. board — to get on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. content — happy
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fall — the season
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a ring
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — thin
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. board — a committee
  23. band — a music group
  24. bay — a horse colour

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