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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bear — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. content — the amount
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — happy
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. nail — for a hammer

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