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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: chair · club · stand · object · cold · mug · suit · content

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. object — a thing
  6. club — for golf
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. object — an aim
  20. mug — a cup
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mug — to rob
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a face

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