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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — rain
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. board — to get on
  5. suit — clothes
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. suit — to fit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. board — a committee
  18. bark — to shout
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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