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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — low music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — animal skin

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