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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: content · fork · cap · mouse · roll · hand · stand · chest

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chest — a box
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — help
  6. content — the amount
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cap — of ice
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. content — happy
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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