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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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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: lash · content · cold · pass · charge · present · bear · stand

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. content — happy
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. charge — in control
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. present — there
  12. bear — the animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. charge — a price
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. present — a gift
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — the amount
  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