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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: stand · board · bay · chest · clip · trunk · ball · rule

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — of your body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. board — a committee
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. board — to get on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rule — government
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — a law
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — a flat piece

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