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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. face — to point toward
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — magic
  6. fine — high quality
  7. root — of a word
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. root — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spell — letters
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. face — to confront
  21. content — the amount
  22. cell — a phone
  23. root — the cause
  24. face — part 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