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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — not warm
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. craft — a skill
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cold — an illness

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