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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fine — all right
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. craft — boats
  20. fine — high quality
  21. content — the amount
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a great time

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