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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.

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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cue — a signal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. content — the amount
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cue — a hint
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lean — to rest against

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