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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — for a lock
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. squash — the sport
  8. content — happy
  9. key — in music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — shares
  15. band — a ring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rock — music
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rock — a stone
  24. key — the most important part

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