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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — music
  3. content — the amount
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — a face
  12. bound — certain
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mug — a cup
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. content — happy
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — before a funeral

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