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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · straw · stand · pop · pass · content · cap · bound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. season — in sport
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — the amount
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — tied together

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