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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. last — finally
  8. fine — all right
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bound — certain
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. last — final
  21. content — happy
  22. mine — for digging
  23. content — the amount
  24. last — to go on

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