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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — an illness
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cold — not warm
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — final
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mark — a trace
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. last — finally
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. content — happy
  24. last — to go on

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