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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · wind · chair · spring · last · club · bay · ruler

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — final
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — the amount
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. club — for golf
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. last — finally
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — of water
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for dancing
  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