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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — happy
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — not warm
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — soda
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hand — help
  24. content — videos and posts

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