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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — for paper
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — a video
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ruler — for measuring

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