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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: bank · content · racket · cold · stand · cap · file · saw

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — of ice
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bank — for money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cap — a hat
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bank — of a river
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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