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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.

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: stand · staff · capital · cold · mark · bound · dip · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — happy
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. capital — money
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — the amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bound — tied together
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cold — not warm
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — a city
  24. stand — to bear

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