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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 · mug · mate · club · stand · rash · face · stick

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. content — the amount
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a cup
  5. face — part of the head
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mug — a face
  22. face — to confront
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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