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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · lean · row · bay · game · stand

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stand — to bear
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lean — thin
  7. chest — a box
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — to bend
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body

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