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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. fall — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — happy
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bank — of a river
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — not warm
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — music
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — of the year
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. spell — magic
  22. rock — a stone
  23. firm — a company
  24. content — the amount

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