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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: face · net · content · hide · chair · bay · track · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — to confront
  5. content — happy
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — a path
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — part of the head
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. net — for catching
  23. content — the amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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