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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chest — a box
  3. pound — a weight
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — a committee
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pound — for dogs

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