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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. face — to confront
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — child
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — the amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. ball — a great time
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — all right

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