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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: content · straw · field · pass · key · wind · hide · foot

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. field — farmland
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — happy
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. content — the amount
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — for sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pass — to spend time

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