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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: row · prune · content · game · stand · chest · track · bay

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. content — the amount
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — a box
  9. game — a match
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. row — a line
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. track — a song
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — wild animals

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