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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · hand · board · stand · mine · toast · content · chair

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. toast — bread
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hand — help
  10. content — the amount
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. content — happy
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — in cards

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