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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — happy
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. cold — not warm
  13. game — a match
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — letters
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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