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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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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — with an edge

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