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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. content — the amount
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — high quality
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. face — part of the head
  13. content — happy
  14. craft — boats
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — a country
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — in traffic

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