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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · leaves · object · hide · land · lean · bay · pitch

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — to protest
  3. lean — thin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — an aim
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. content — happy
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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