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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.

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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. last — final
  6. content — the amount
  7. cell — a phone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — after costs
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — finally
  17. content — happy
  18. last — to go on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. cell — in biology

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