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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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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. content — the amount
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spell — magic
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — a container
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — happy
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — letters

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