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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. content — the amount
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. drill — army training
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — happy
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — help
  22. spring — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chair — a leader

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