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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — for sport
  7. game — a match
  8. content — happy
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — a committee
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — the amount
  15. bound — certain
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — farmland
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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