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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: kid · content · season · fall · mark · spell · bay · cabinet

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. content — the amount
  7. kid — child
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — a grade
  13. season — of the year
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — magic
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

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