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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 116 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — to point toward
  4. row — to paddle
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. row — a line
  15. content — the amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. face — to confront
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. row — a quarrel

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