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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — the amount
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — a series
  9. mark — a trace
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rash — hasty
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — final
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — happy
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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