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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chest — a box
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. board — a committee
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — the amount
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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