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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a committee
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. board — to get on
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rule — government
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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