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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cold — an illness
  7. track — a path
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — decided
  13. season — of the year
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. track — a song
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. season — in sport
  19. firm — a company
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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