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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a word
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — all right
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. content — the amount
  18. fine — high quality

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