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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — happy
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — videos and posts

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