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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — letters
  11. content — the amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. stand — to bear
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — happy
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — a short time

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