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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: pitcher · cold · mouse · stand · content · hide · stock · can

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stock — shares
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — happy
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cold — not warm

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