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

Word bank: content · last · chair · race · stand · cap · can · suit

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — a leader
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — final
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — finally
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. last — to go on
  17. content — happy
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. can — a tin
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. race — the arms race

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