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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. ground — crushed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — a position
  6. content — the amount
  7. cold — an illness
  8. content — happy
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pop — soda
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. club — for dancing
  24. stand — to bear

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