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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — to bear
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fork — in a road
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — happy
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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