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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pass — a permit
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — shares
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. face — to confront
  17. stock — goods
  18. temple — side of the head

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