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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. firm — steady
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. firm — decided

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