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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. suit — to fit
  16. content — happy
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — wild animals
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. game — a kind of play

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