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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · bat · season · content · chest · bay · stand · hand

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — in cards
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — help
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mug — a face
  17. chest — a box
  18. season — in sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. content — the amount
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — a cup
  24. content — videos and posts

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