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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: cold · stand · board · content · court · lean · rash · spring

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of law
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lean — thin
  7. rash — a series
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — to bear
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — happy
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. board — a committee
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cold — an illness

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