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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — of ice
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — electric
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. current — happening now
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cap — a lid
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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