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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. content — the amount
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. content — happy
  20. stand — to bear
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — all right
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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