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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 116 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 stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — a container
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — to get on
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stem — to come from
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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