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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 124 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — a song
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — to keep track
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bat — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. content — the amount

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