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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — for light
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — for digging
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. march — music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — a match
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. face — to confront

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