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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — a container
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — to get on
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — final
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lean — thin

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