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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. content — the amount
  3. rash — a series
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — to get on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — videos and posts

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