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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — happy
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — rain
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. band — a music group
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — to shout
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. foot — a measure
  24. calf — of the leg

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