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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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468
Word bank
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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to click
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. key — the most important part

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