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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a path
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. track — a song
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — a horse colour

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