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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. content — the amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. field — a subject
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — happy
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. field — for sport
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a committee
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — farmland
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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