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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: sharp · bay · wake · cell · content · rock · tear · toast

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rock — a stone
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. toast — bread
  5. content — the amount
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rock — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. content — happy
  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