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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. track — a path
  4. present — a gift
  5. cold — an illness
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stand — to bear
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. craft — boats
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mate — a partner
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cold — not warm

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