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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 120 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. content — the amount
  4. key — in music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cold — an illness
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. key — the most important part
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. content — happy
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — on your feet

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