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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: content · bowl · jam · suit · cold · clip · coach · stand

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — the amount
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — happy
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. suit — in cards
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. clip — to cut

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