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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — for digging
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fall — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cue — a signal

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