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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — a hat
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wind — moving air

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