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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 116 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: plane · mug · content · rock · pit · bay · wind · court

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. content — happy
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rock — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. court — of law
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — the amount
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — a face
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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