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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: bay · chest · wind · content · ball · dip · root · pass

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — the amount
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pass — a permit
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ball — a dance
  24. content — happy

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