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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: pop · content · rock · cold · chair · squash · roll · present

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pop — to visit
  3. present — the time now
  4. roll — a cake
  5. present — there
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — a gift
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — an illness
  13. content — happy
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. roll — a list
  16. pop — music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. content — the amount

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