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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — to bear
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bass — the fish
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. staff — employees
  22. bass — low music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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