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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — a break
  13. content — happy
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. content — the amount
  16. cold — an illness
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — in sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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