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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: bound · key · content · bay · wind · bass · bat · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. content — the amount
  7. key — in music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bass — low music
  15. content — happy
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bass — the fish
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — the instrument

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