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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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Word bank
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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: cell · content · wind · mark · coach · sharp · last · squash

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — a grade
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. content — the amount
  10. last — finally
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — a trace
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cell — in biology
  18. last — final
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wind — to turn a key

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