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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rash — a series
  5. stand — to bear
  6. present — a gift
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stem — to come from
  12. content — the amount
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — happy
  15. present — there
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. present — the time now
  24. cold — an illness

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