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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. firm — decided
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. firm — a company
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. content — the amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — happy
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stand — on your feet

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