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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 120 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 · content · pit · coach · dip · track · stand · bear

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — a song
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — happy
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stand — on your feet

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