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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — the most important part
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. key — in music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — for dancing
  20. content — happy
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — the amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. club — a group

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