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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. content — the amount
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — ground
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — low music
  10. board — a committee
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — to go on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lean — to bend
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. content — happy
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — to come down

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