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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a path
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — high quality
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. scale — size or range
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — a song
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fine — all right
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — the amount

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