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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. band — a ring
  3. spring — of water
  4. content — the amount
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — to paddle
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — the season
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. key — for a lock
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — happy
  17. present — there
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. row — a line
  20. band — a music group
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — a coil
  24. present — a gift

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