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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · squash · spell · content · roll · season · arm · craft

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. roll — a list
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — a skill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spell — a short time
  10. roll — a cake
  11. season — in sport
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cold — not warm
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spell — magic
  17. cold — an illness
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — of the year
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. craft — boats
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. content — happy

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